Teen and young adult mental health are at all-time lows. Newport Healthcare offers hope
By StoryStudio on October 31, 2023
Teen and young adult mental health issues have reached a full-blown crisis over the last several years. Now at an all-time low, every facet of youth mental health seems to be trending in the wrong direction. From 2009 to 2021, the share of American high school students who say they experience “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” rose from 26 percent to 44 percent, according to a new CDC study. As the Atlantic notes, this is the highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded. Meanwhile, the number of college students experiencing mental health symptoms has increased by 50 percent since 2013.
As a result, youth suicide is up. Substance use has increased. Eating disorders are skyrocketing, and self-harm rates have also risen. These troubling statistics have left many parents struggling to understand what’s going on, especially parents of teen and young adult children who are suffering.
“The nation is confronting a historic teen and young adult mental health crisis that demands resources and solutions,” said Joe Procopio, CEO of Newport Healthcare, a national network of industry-leading mental health treatment centers for teens and young adults. “It is more crucial than ever that young people receive compassionate and comprehensive care.”
Experts say there is no one cause of the deteriorating mental health in youth, yet most agree it has been exacerbated by two major contributors: social media and the pandemic. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are replacing in-person connections, while catalyzing constant negative comparisons that undermine young people’s sense of self-worth. Increased screen use during the pandemic heightened these effects, while also setting both teens and young adults back in terms of social-emotional, educational and career gains.
“I don’t believe it is a mere coincidence that after decades of young people’s relative stability, research for almost the past decade has been reporting spiking statistics for increased loneliness, isolation, anxiety, depression, and self-harm among young people, while smartphone sales, social applications and the use of both have followed a similarly trending increase,” says Don Grant, PhD, Newport’s National Advisor of Healthy Device Management.
At Newport Healthcare, healthy device management is one aspect of a comprehensive treatment approach provided in teen and young adult residential programs, intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs nationwide. Through Newport Academy, serving ages 12 to 18, and Newport Institute, for ages 18 to 32, the company is addressing the unique challenges teens and young adults are facing now — and it’s working. Ongoing research on Newport’s programming reveals unparalleled success rates.
“Our outcomes research makes it abundantly clear that a family-focused approach, which addresses the trauma and attachment wounds underlying mental health conditions, drives measurable and sustainable change for our young people and families,” says Barbara Nosal, PhD, LMFT, LADC, Chief Clinical Officer at Newport Healthcare. “Those validated results, alongside our everyday experience with the teens and young adults in our care, demonstrate a clear positive impact on today’s youth mental health crisis.”
Using an acclaimed multi-modality treatment methodology that includes Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) as well as trauma-informed care, device management, adventure therapy and relapse prevention, Newport nurtures each client’s physical, psychological and educational needs from a foundation of compassionate care, clinical expertise and unconditional love. The results speak for themselves.
The nation is confronting a historic teen and young adult mental health crisis that demands resources and solutions.
Moving families from awareness to action.
Research shows that 25 percent of teens are suffering from depression, and 40 percent are struggling with anxiety. It’s not always easy for parents to know when and how to move from awareness to action to ensure a teen receives mental healthcare.
“Newport showed me the solution to my problem,” says Jake, an alumni of Newport Academy, which provides a robust educational component that allows teens to stay on track with school while recovering from mental health and substance use disorders. After Jake’s father died, his increasingly out-of-control substance use culminated in two consecutive overdoses.
Looking back, Jake’s thankful he realized that wasn’t how he wanted his life to go. Newport Academy showed him a different path. “The community is loving and caring, and people go out of their way just to see how you’re doing,” he says. “If you work an honest program, you’ll absolutely be able to stay sober there.”
“Newport absolutely, truly saved my life,” says Gina, a Newport Academy alumna. When she was at her lowest point, Gina felt she didn’t even know who she was or even what she liked. Newport helped her remember that by showing her what was possible. “Newport is a magical place. I loved the staff. They’re really who got me through. They gave me the tools to right my wrongs and learn to love life, one day at a time, one task at a time.”
SPONSORED BY NEWPORT HEALTHCARE
When I first discovered Newport, I knew this was a place I would send my own child. I feel so privileged to witness young people and families finding joy and healing with us.
Gina and Jake are just two of hundreds of Newport success stories. Newport’s residential treatment centers combine a family-focused, trauma-informed care methodology with continued education and life skills development, in beautiful settings where residents can connect with nature, with themselves and with peers and mentors within a supportive community. It’s a powerfully effective combination that allows residents to grow their self-knowledge and healthy coping skills, while preparing them for the challenges of life once they leave the program.
“When I first discovered Newport, I knew this was a place I would send my own child. I feel so privileged to witness young people and families finding joy and healing with us,” says Kristin Wilson, MA, LPC, CCTP, Newport’s Chief Experience Officer.
Newport’s individualized approach—backed by the extensive resources of its clinical and counseling experts—is necessary, as more and more teens and young adults are presenting with multiple disorders that many treatment centers aren’t equipped to handle. Furthermore, Newport’s family-inclusive methodology allows parents to be part of the solution.
"Newport really focuses on the family,” says Denise, parent of a Newport alumna who struggled with self-injury. “Family therapy and the individual attention I got as a parent is what made a huge difference. So much of parenting is you not wanting your child to fail. To watch your child suffer? That’s not an easy thing.” Denise speaks of being consumed by her daughter’s recovery, so much so that she felt she lost herself. “It took me getting healthy to enable her to get healthy. With Newport, there's no question we made the right decision."
With locations across the country, including a teen residential treatment center in Kirkland, Washington, Newport Healthcare is committed to providing superior care and resources to as many young people and families as possible. Their integrative approach provides evidence-based and empirically supported modalities, experiential therapy, and continued education and life skills development, making Newport the leading choice for teen and young adult mental health treatment.
If your child is suffering, there is hope. Learn more about the incredible transformations happening every day at a Newport Healthcare location near you.
Research shows that 25 percent of teens are suffering from depression, and 40 percent are struggling with anxiety. It’s not always easy for parents to know when and how to move from awareness to action to ensure a teen receives mental healthcare.
Moving families from awareness to action.
“Newport showed me the solution to my problem,” says Jake, an alumni of Newport Academy, which provides a robust educational component that allows teens to stay on track with school while recovering from mental health and substance use disorders. After Jake’s father died, his increasingly out-of-control substance use culminated in two consecutive overdoses.
Looking back, Jake’s thankful he realized that wasn’t how he wanted his life to go. Newport Academy showed him a different path. “The community is loving and caring, and people go out of their way just to see how you’re doing,” he says. “If you work an honest program, you’ll absolutely be able to stay sober there.”
“Newport absolutely, truly saved my life,” says Gina, a Newport Academy alumna. When she was at her lowest point, Gina felt she didn’t even know who she was or even what she liked. Newport helped her remember that by showing her what was possible. “Newport is a magical place. I loved the staff. They’re really who got me through. They gave me the tools to right my wrongs and learn to love life, one day at a time, one task at a time.”
Gina and Jake are just two of hundreds of Newport success stories. Newport’s residential treatment centers combine a family-focused, trauma-informed care methodology with continued education and life skills development, in beautiful settings where residents can connect with nature, with themselves and with peers and mentors within a supportive community. It’s a powerfully effective combination that allows residents to grow their self-knowledge and healthy coping skills, while preparing them for the challenges of life once they leave the program.
“When I first discovered Newport, I knew this was a place I would send my own child. I feel so privileged to witness young people and families finding joy and healing with us,” says Kristin Wilson, MA, LPC, CCTP, Newport’s Chief Experience Officer.
Newport’s individualized approach—backed by the extensive resources of its clinical and counseling experts—is necessary, as more and more teens and young adults are presenting with multiple disorders that many treatment centers aren’t equipped to handle. Furthermore, Newport’s family-inclusive methodology allows parents to be part of the solution.
"Newport really focuses on the family,” says Denise, parent of a Newport alumna who struggled with self-injury. “Family therapy and the individual attention I got as a parent is what made a huge difference. So much of parenting is you not wanting your child to fail. To watch your child suffer? That’s not an easy thing.” Denise speaks of being consumed by her daughter’s recovery, so much so that she felt she lost herself. “It took me getting healthy to enable her to get healthy. With Newport, there's no question we made the right decision."
With locations across the country, including a teen residential treatment center in Kirkland, Washington, Newport Healthcare is committed to providing superior care and resources to as many young people and families as possible. Their integrative approach provides evidence-based and empirically supported modalities, experiential therapy, and continued education and life skills development, making Newport the leading choice for teen and young adult mental health treatment.
If your child is suffering, there is hope. Learn more about the incredible transformations happening every day at a Newport Healthcare location near you.
The nation is confronting a historic teen and young adult mental health crisis that demands resources and solutions.
When I first discovered Newport, I knew this was a place I would send my own child. I feel so privileged to witness young people and families finding joy and healing with us.
At Newport Healthcare, healthy device management is one aspect of a comprehensive treatment approach provided in teen and young adult residential programs, intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs nationwide. Through Newport Academy, serving ages 12 to 18, and Newport Institute, for ages 18 to 32, the company is addressing the unique challenges teens and young adults are facing now — and it’s working. Ongoing research on Newport’s programming reveals unparalleled success rates.
“Our outcomes research makes it abundantly clear that a family-focused approach, which addresses the trauma and attachment wounds underlying mental health conditions, drives measurable and sustainable change for our young people and families,” says Barbara Nosal, PhD, LMFT, LADC, Chief Clinical Officer at Newport Healthcare. “Those validated results, alongside our everyday experience with the teens and young adults in our care, demonstrate a clear positive impact on today’s youth mental health crisis.”
Using an acclaimed multi-modality treatment methodology that includes Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) as well as trauma-informed care, device management, adventure therapy and relapse prevention, Newport nurtures each client’s physical, psychological and educational needs from a foundation of compassionate care, clinical expertise and unconditional love. The results speak for themselves.
“The nation is confronting a historic teen and young adult mental health crisis that demands resources and solutions,” said Joe Procopio, CEO of Newport Healthcare, a national network of industry-leading mental health treatment centers for teens and young adults. “It is more crucial than ever that young people receive compassionate and comprehensive care.”
Experts say there is no one cause of the deteriorating mental health in youth, yet most agree it has been exacerbated by two major contributors: social media and the pandemic. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are replacing in-person connections, while catalyzing constant negative comparisons that undermine young people’s sense of self-worth. Increased screen use during the pandemic heightened these effects, while also setting both teens and young adults back in terms of social-emotional, educational and career gains.
“I don’t believe it is a mere coincidence that after decades of young people’s relative stability, research for almost the past decade has been reporting spiking statistics for increased loneliness, isolation, anxiety, depression, and self-harm among young people, while smartphone sales, social applications and the use of both have followed a similarly trending increase,” says Don Grant, PhD, Newport’s National Advisor of Healthy Device Management.
Teen and young adult mental health issues have reached a full-blown crisis over the last several years. Now at an all-time low, every facet of youth mental health seems to be trending in the wrong direction. From 2009 to 2021, the share of American high school students who say they experience “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” rose from 26 percent to 44 percent, according to a new CDC study. As the Atlantic notes, this is the highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded. Meanwhile, the number of college students experiencing mental health symptoms has increased by 50 percent since 2013.
As a result, youth suicide is up. Substance use has increased. Eating disorders are skyrocketing, and self-harm rates have also risen. These troubling statistics have left many parents struggling to understand what’s going on, especially parents of teen and young adult children who are suffering.
By StoryStudio on October 31, 2023
Teen and young adult mental health are at all-time lows. Newport Healthcare offers hope
SPONSORED BY NEWPORT HEALTHCARE